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Professional liability

A mistake, an oversight, advice that goes wrong: professional liability insurance steps in when your business causes damage to a third party.

Carpenter at work in his workshop in late-day light

Two minutes is all it takes: tell us who you are and what needs covering. We come back with compared quotes.

The essentials

Any professional activity can cause damage: a client injured on your premises, equipment damaged during a job, poor advice that costs a principal dearly. Professional liability insurance covers third-party claims for bodily injury, property damage and, depending on the cover chosen, pure financial loss.

In Switzerland it is compulsory only for certain professions, but in practice a great deal hinges on it: many mandates, competitive tenders and commercial leases require it. The right contract depends on your trade, your turnover and your actual risks, not on a standard formula.

What this insurance covers

  • Bodily injury

    A third party is injured in connection with your activity: medical costs, loss of earnings and legal consequences are taken care of.

  • Property damage

    A client’s or third party’s property is damaged in the course of your work or while you are working on site.

  • Pure financial loss

    A mistake, an oversight or a delay causes a financial loss to your principal, without bodily injury or property damage.

  • Defence against unjustified claims

    The insurer wards off unfounded claims at its own expense, an often underestimated part of the cover.

  • Damage to works

    Depending on the sector, an extension for damage linked to work carried out or to items entrusted to you.

Who it is for

  • Tradespeople and companies in construction, finishing trades and technical services.
  • Advisory professions: fiduciaries, IT specialists, engineering firms, agencies.
  • Medical and therapeutic professions, self-employed practitioners and practices.
  • Shops and restaurants that welcome the public onto their premises.
  • Any company whose mandates or leases require proof of liability cover.

How we support you

  1. Analysing your risks

    What you have, what is missing, what overlaps: an honest assessment.

  2. Competitive tenders

    Several insurers approached against a precise specification, compared item by item.

  3. Long-term follow-up

    Set-up, renewals, claims: a single point of contact, year after year.

Frequently asked questions

Is professional liability insurance compulsory in Switzerland?

It is required by law only for certain regulated professions (healthcare, lawyers, fiduciaries depending on the canton, transport and others). For everyone else it remains optional in law, but demanded in practice by many principals, project owners and commercial landlords.

What sum insured should I choose?

Swiss contracts most often provide sums of 3, 5 or 10 million francs per claim. The right level depends on your activity and your clients: a serious bodily injury quickly exceeds several million. We calibrate the sum to your actual risks, not to the cheapest formula.

How does it differ from business liability insurance?

It is the same foundation: business liability covers the general risks of running the operation and is supplemented by extensions specific to your trade, pure financial loss for advisory work, items entrusted to you for craft trades, for example. What matters is that the extensions match what you actually do.

What should I do in the event of a claim?

Do not admit liability in writing, document the facts and report the case promptly. As your broker, we file the notification with you and follow the case through to its close, that is part of our support.

Your quote request

Two minutes is all it takes: tell us who you are and what needs covering. We come back with compared quotes.

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Jules Rossier

Your contact

Jules Rossier · Insurance

079 136 26 11 · jules.rossier@rb-conseils.ch

Jules Rossier, non-tied insurance intermediary within the meaning of Art. 45 of the Insurance Supervision Act (ISA), registered with FINMA under no. F01581788.